Solar Eclipse in Zimbabwe

Solar Eclipse in Zimbabwe

We facilitated this Solar Eclipse Tour for Harmony Tours who were bringing a group of people from the USA to support the work of Jude Currivan (formerly Jude Stammers).

Jude is engaged in some exciting planetary healing work involving the activation of 12 Solar Discs around the globe. The final activation and completion of this task is scheduled in England in November 2003 at Silbury Hill, Wiltshire. Our involvement began, when Jude and Harmony Tours contacted us to see if we were aware of a Solar Disc on Table Mountain. Coincidently, we had been deeply involved in some research of a strange archeo-astronomical phenomenon in the Cape region of South Africa and knew the exact location of the Solar Disc, a place we had meditated at quite often. Jude was delighted as this was only her second activation, the first having been at the Great Pyramid in Egypt.

Our itinerary for the group started with a visit to our dear friend and mentor, Credo Mutwa where we shared in a Solar Eclipse ritual before setting off for Zimbabwe to experience the 100% eclipse. Spirit had already been in action before Jude left her home in the U.K. The week before departure, Jude had given a workshop that included information on the Inca tribe. The next day she answered a knock on the door to find 2 Aztec men who had heard of her work and were interested in finding out if there was a way for them to visit Africa for the eclipse. As they had no money, things did not look very promising. However, Jude contacted us and explained this synchronistic event and asked if there was any way we could accommodate them for the Solar Eclipse.

As we had arranged to take our own bus from South Africa, getting there and back was easy and we were happy to sponsor the accommodation and food. So our response was “If they can get to Johannesburg, we will handle the rest”. Luckily a friend in Germany sponsored their International Air Tickets and they duly arrived in time for the bus departure, but alas without the requested visa’s for Zimbabwe.

Some frantic telephone calls ensued but we were advised by the Zimbabwe authorities that it was quite impossible for Visa’s to be issued in time. It finally came down to seeing if they could talk their way through at the Border Post at Beit Bridge. When I explained this to Acatl, he responded “So, let me understand this – it is between God and the heart of the man at the Border Post?” I said “Yes”. Acatle paused for a moment and said – “then we will go”

Amazingly, they were allowed through and our driver reported that it was as though the 2 Aztec men were not visible to the clerk at the Border Post.

Before departing for this tour, we had been engaged in lots of communications with our Lodge in Zimbabwe regarding the best Solar Eclipse Site. They had carried out reconnaisance on our behalf, providing pictures from which we selected the site we felt was most suited to our purpose, situated about 4 hours from our lodge. Little did we know then, that Spirit had other ideas.

The Lodge manager left just after sun up with the mini bus and trailer of lunch provisions. We set off after breakfast and invited a few other travelers to share our bus. Despite having the directions clearly mapped out by the manager, our bus driver and local guide could not find the site we had selected. After 5 1/2 hours of driving and with the eclipse event looming we opted for an alternative site inside the 100% eclipse band – a local School in a remote village east of Harare.

En route to the site, Acatle wrote out a beautiful prayer (in Spanish) for the eclipse and requested Elizabeth Keast, one of our group (a linguist and actress – another coincidence?), to translate it and read it during the ceremony.

While everyone was busy with their own preparations for the Eclipse, Acatle and his friend set out their colourful altar on the ground. Some meditated, some sounded sacred instruments, some just watched in awe as the Eclipse took place. Acatle and his colleague, carried out the most enchanting ritual which included the playing of flutes, pan pipes, conche shells and much dancing and praying. All the time the local community were gathering around in ever increasing numbers to watch this spectacular ritual to the Sun. Having taken extra protective eye glasses, we were able to share them with the local community.

As a token of our thanks for being able to use the school grounds, we quickly collected a handsome donation for the Headmaster. Then, the eclipse spectacle over, it was time to gather as a group, holding hands in a huge circle while the 2 Aztec Sun Worshippers, played their musical instruments and danced all around the inside perimeter of the circle. The bonding with the local villagers and childern was magical.

Thankfully, we had eaten well at breakfast time because we didn’t meet up with the Lunch bus until we were half way back to our lodge, when we passed it standing without fuel at the side of the road. They had spent the afternoon searching for us, to no avail.

The return to South Africa turned out to be a traumatic experience when the Airport Computers failed and the ground staff were unable to process our boarding passes in time for our early morning flight. Most of our group were left stranded in Harare when the aeroplane took off with our luggage on board – it can only happen in Zimbabwe!

Luckily, for us Mrs. Mugabe had need to fly to Johannesburg and we were accommodated on a later unscheduled flight, albeit having missed our connection to Cape Town.

It was a tired but thankful group that settled into the luxury of the Winchester Mansions Hotel on the sea front in Cape Town.

The subsequent activation of the Solar Disc the next day was a momentous occasion. We had invited some of our local friends to join our group and we set off to climb Table Mountain. Another starnge phenomenon occured as we climbed up to the Solar Disc – the clouds came rolling in to completely obscure the city and Camps Bay below. It was as if we were sitting on top of the clouds and all sound had been obliterated. This phenomenon continued throughout our time at the Disc and only dispersed after we had begun our descent from the mountain.

Jude was understandably, quite emotional at this ceremony and it seemed like a physical sign of Spirit blessing the wonderful work she is so committed to doing.